The Unofficial British Royal Family Pages

Wednesday 17 March 2004

Call me Kate

Much has been said and written in recent times about the forking out of money used to support minor members of the royal family. While in some instances the criticism might be warranted perhaps we have been short-sighted, forgetting just what some of these people have done for us.

I was saddened recently to read an article recently that alleged that the Duke and Duchess of Kent were about to divorce. While this does not appear to be the case, the couple has for sometime appeared to live relatively separate lives. When asked recently about the state of her marriage, she replied, 'I look after my family and cook for my husband'. Above all else, this indicates that she has certainly not lost the royal way of not saying much at all!

The couple has never been plagued by scandal, as have others in the family. In fact the only indication I have noticed that would suggest disagreement between them were a few times when they arrived separately to engagements because the Duchess was often not ready on time. While there is usually one of a pair who tends to dither and frustrate the other, it is hardly grounds for divorce, maddening as it is at the time. I know. I have the same problem myself.

In recent times, the Duchess has asked that she not be referred to as Her Royal Highness and instead prefers people to call her Duchess or even Kate. Whatever the reason for this is, it appears that the Duchess is keen to distance herself from the royal fold and lead a simpler life. Somehow, without the media catching on, she has manage to teach music to schoolchildren and at the same time has combined two great loves of her life into something that obviously gives her purpose.

Over the last twenty years the elegant Duchess has been plagued by depression and the debilitating syndrome Epstein Barr virus. This has not stopped her, I feel deservedly, from being one of the most popular characters in the royal family. Well before the arrival of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Kent really was one of the few human faces of the monarchy. She has been enormously popular in here in Australia, especially for some reason in Queensland, perhaps because of her lack of pretension, her style and her face, which still continues to exude kindness.

She is perhaps most well known for her appearances at Wimbledon, where from the royal box she would watch animatedly and share the victories and disappointments of the players. Who could forget the genuine comfort she offered a grief stricken Jana Novotna in 1993 when the player was defeated in the women's championship? One wonders what other member of the royal family would have offered such a gesture.

It would appear that she has turned her back on Wimbledon after an incident in 1999 where a young boy accompanying her as a special treat was refused entry to the Royal Box, because he was not royalty. While rules maybe rules and traditions, traditions, in hindsight, it was a severe and ridiculous slight. The Duchess has not been to Wimbledon since and while she has said through a spokesperson that the incident is not the reason she has dropped the event from her calendar, her decisions since suggest otherwise.

It is hard to know exactly why the Duchess has chosen the direction she has and perhaps the answers deserve to be only a family matter. What I do know is that we are a little poorer without her.

We're unlikely to know the exact reasons for the Duchess' withdrawal from the royal scene anytime soon. We can surmise that she has found some peace in Catholicism and is no doubt a much-loved grandmother. I do hope though that she does not feel her public role was no longer valid or that it had been unappreciated.

While there are valid calls for the representatives of the monarchy to be scaled down, which will no doubt occur in the future, it is important to remember the contribution the Kent and Gloucester families have made to the British nation and the Commonwealth. Let's face it; it is doubtful that a government minister or the CEO of a sponsor would add to the tennis at Wimbledon what the elegant Katherine, The Duchess of Kent has over the years. The simple fact is that the Duchess had become an integral part of Wimbledon over the years.

Understandably she and others like Princess Alexandra, The Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Michael were overshadowed by the arrival of Diana and Fergie who were young and for a few years, fun. However the Duchess of Kent has always carried out her duties with dignity, great affection and warmth despite what now must have been very black periods in her life. We have never heard her complain publicly and the only time she expressed a hint of displeasure was the incident at Wimbledon, which in the Duchess's usual way was based on concern for someone else.
 

- Gioffredo